Scleranthelia musiva, Studer, 1878

Devictor, Susan T. & Morton, Steve L., 2010, Identification guide to the shallow water (0 - 200 m) octocorals of the South Atlantic Bight 2599, Zootaxa 2599 (1), pp. 1-62 : 29-30

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2599.1.1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10538760

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A887A7-FFD2-7D52-2A81-FDF967CEFD88

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Scleranthelia musiva
status

 

Growth form musiva Studer, 1878 View in CoL

Scleranthelia musiva Studer, 1878:634 View in CoL ; Plate 1 fig. 4

Scleranthelia rugosa View in CoL growth form musiva Bayer, 1981b:895 View in CoL ; Fig. 5c, d View FIGURE 5 .

Material examined. USNM 55450 View Materials , 70– 95 m, SE of Charleston , SC, July 28, 1964 .

Remarks. This octocoral is the only encrusting species recorded in the SAB. The two growth forms of Scleranthelia rugosa differ mainly in the expanse of the stolon between calyces. Growth form rugosa resembles a “network” of individual calyces interconnected by band-like stolons (up to 2 mm in width), whereas form musiva may encrust dead octocoral axes, shells or substrate with more sheet-like coenenchyme. Both forms have colorless sclerites mainly in the form of large (up to 1 mm) flat plates that fit closely together in mosaic fashion, and somewhat cylindrical calyces that widen near the base, taking the shape of a cone. Thorny stars and rods are present in the anthocodiae. The rugosa specimen examined for this work was encrusted on a dark rock which made the translucent white coenenchyme very visible, but the musiva specimen was encrusted on a piece of pale shell hash and was well camouflaged. Bayer (1981b) did not recognize these two forms as separate species but they are cataloged in the USNM as such. This species is probably not found within typical SCUBA diving limits. The S. rugosa growth form rugosa specimen examined for this work was collected via manned submersible.

Atlantic distribution: form rugosa — South Carolina to Martinique, Guyana, 100–550 m; form musiva — New York to Guyana, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, 70–300 m (type recorded off Havana at 493 m) ( Deichmann, 1936; Bayer, 1981b; NMNH records).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Cnidaria

Class

Anthozoa

Order

Alcyonacea

Family

Clavulariidae

Genus

Scleranthelia

Loc

Scleranthelia musiva

Devictor, Susan T. & Morton, Steve L. 2010
2010
Loc

Scleranthelia rugosa

Bayer, F. M. 1981: 895
1981
Loc

Scleranthelia musiva

Studer, T. 1878: 634
1878
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